Bitter Sam I am
by DanimalBr
Summary: Angry and scorned over her failed marriage with Billy and having lost Jeff, a new dark side to Samantha comes out after years of being the nice girl. Seeking revenge on Billy and Jennifer, Sam aligns herself with Michael, who has also dealt with a lot of betrayal, and the two join forces to get retribution over those who've wrecked their lives. Alternate season 6/7 story.
1. 1: Misery loves company

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Melrose Place or any of the characters involved in this story.**

* * *

 **Author's Note: A week ago I was watching some old Melrose Place reruns that I hadn't seen in many years, around the end of season 6/beginning of season 7. While watching I got an idea for a story plot that I just can't get out of my head. I forgot that the character of Samantha Riley actually started to show a bad side right toward the end of her time on the show, after she found out that Billy had been having an affair with Jennifer. In a few scenes, I was surprised to see that she was actually pretty good at being bad, as I mostly remembered her as being really dull. Of course they were never able to go anywhere with her new change of character, because Brooke Langton was leaving the show, so they had Sam leave town with Jeff. But in my story, I'm going to change a few things. This takes place around the end of season 6/beginning of season 7. The difference between my story and the show is that in my story Jeff decided to leave town without Sam after the affair between Billy and Jennifer was discovered. This leaves Sam single and extremely bitter and looking to get payback on Jennifer and Billy, and everyone else who hurt her. She'll wind up forming an alliance with Michael, someone else who really got crapped on by everyone else in season 6, and the two of them, along with a surprise 3** **rd** **person who will be revealed later in the story, will seek revenge on Billy, Jennifer, Coop, Megan, and everyone else who they felt betrayed by.**

* * *

Dressed in a black cashmere sweater and a pair of jeans, Samantha sits at the bar at Kyle's upstairs jazz club with a glum look of self-defeat etched on her face. She holds her head up with her right hand while holding her glass of gin and tonic with the left.

Staring into her drink and watching the bubbles rise to the top, she finds herself getting lost in her own reflections. As she has done over and over again for days, she tries to drown her bitterness and sorrow in alcohol while trying to figure out where her once great life went diverted into such an endless pit of betrayal and hopelessness.

It seemed like just yesterday she was walking down the aisle and getting married to Billy to live a life of happily ever after. But before she could blink, she met Jeff Baylor while trying to convince him to become the new spokesperson for Amanda Woodward advertising and sparks flew.

Things with Jeff were so hot and steamy for a while, that was until he had the nerve to lie to his family and tell them that they were engaged. She couldn't believe the nerve he had. In anger, she hastily ended her relationship with Jeff, and he left for Florida for spring training.

Then she decided to try to go back and fix her marriage problems with Billy, only to catch Billy and Jennifer together. Suddenly, all the pieces of the puzzle finally fit; Jennifer had pushed her into having an affair with Jeff so that Jen could move in and steal her husband.

This is when Sam finally snapped and attacked Jen right in the courtyard of Melrose Place. The nice soft spoken girl that everyone knew died right then and there, especially when the fight was broken up by Billy, who completely sided with Jennifer over her. When Sam tried to accuse Jen of conspiring to break up their marriage, Billy told Sam that she should blame herself and not Jennifer for their failed marriage.

A few days later when Sam tried to call Jeff to reconcile, she was surprised when a woman picked up the phone. She learned that the woman was Jeff's old girlfriend who he ran back to after Sam dumped him and that he had signed a new multi-million dollar contract with the new expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays and was moving to Tampa with her.

In the days that followed, Sam continued to live with anger and bitterness over the fact that the two guys she was in relationships with moved on from her and into new relationships so quickly, like they never gave a damn about her. To make matters worse, she still had to continue to work with Billy. And Amanda seemed to side with him on every workplace disagreement they had. When she tried to give Amanda an ultimatum by saying she couldn't continue to work with Billy, Amanda replied by saying Billy and her had a long history and he was her top account rep.

And to top it off, every time she walked out of her apartment at Melrose Place, it seemed like she'd run into Billy and Jennifer playing tongue hockey either in the pool or the courtyard. All of this was proving to be more than what Samantha's fragile psyche could take. She had lost two men she was in love with, and all her friends she thought she had were turning out to be back stabbers, and her self destructive ways was hanging onto her job at Amanda Woodward advertising by a slim thread.

So she found refuge in the only place she could, by drowning her sorrows in Jack Daniels, Gin and Tonic, Corona, and whatever alcohol she could find to wrap her lips around.

Suddenly, Samantha hears familiar voices and some laughing and whispering. She looks over to her right and sees Billy and Jennifer sitting at a table with Megan and Coop. They appear to be on a double date. Jennifer had spotted Samantha sitting at the bar alone and pointed her out to Billy.

The two began to look over at Samantha repeatedly, while she just glares back at them. Jennifer starts to whisper in Billy's ear, as he snickers. Suddenly Megan looks over and notices Sam and sees Billy and Jennifer laughing at her. "Hey, come on you guys, cut it out." Megan says to Billy and Jen, being the only one at their table showing any compassion towards Samantha.

Feeling like they are laughing at her, Samantha chugs the rest of her Gin and Tonic and wipes her mouth and then marches over to their table.

"Excuse me." Samantha says to the foursome in a nasty tone.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Jennifer replies snidely.

"If any of you have something to say about me, I'm sitting right over there. You can come say it to my face, instead of sitting here and talking about me behind my back like a bunch of high school kids. Or if you'd prefer, I'd be more than happy to take this to the parking lot."

"Why don't you just go home, Sam? You're drunk and embarrassing yourself." Billy says in an egotistical and emotionless tone.

"And you're a hypocrite and a pig, not to mention you're dating the biggest horse's ass in the western hemisphere. At least, I'll be sober in the morning." Samantha replies drunkenly to her ex-husband.

"You really are pathetic. I can't believe I ever loved you." Billy replies.

"Look, enough." Megan says interrupting. "We weren't talking about you, Sam. But if it looked that way, I'm sorry."

"Megan, don't apologize to this bitch." Jennifer retorts. "She's nothing but a bitter drunk who tried to keep two guys and wound up losing them both. Now she's all alone. You ask me, I call it poetic justice."

"I'll give you poetic justice, slut." Samantha yells. An enraged Sam balls up her fist and lunges across the table at Jennifer, aiming to strike her in the face. But Billy grabs her arm before she can make contact. Sam jerks her arm away. "Get your hands off of me, Billy. Don't you ever touch me again." Sam yells. By this time, they have begun to cause a scene and the other people in the club sitting around them have turned to look and see what's going on.

"Is there a problem here?" a voice says from across the room, but getting closer by the second. Samantha turns to see who it is and sees that it is Kyle, the owner of the jazz club and restaurant down stairs.

"I don't have a problem. It's these two who got the problem." Samantha replies to Kyle, referring to Billy and Jennifer.

Kyle takes a moment and looks at Billy and Jennifer then at Coop and Megan before turning back to Samantha. "I don't think this is your table, Sam. Perhaps you should go back to where you were sitting." Kyle says to her, looking to break up the problem before anything further develops.

"Pft. Gladly." Sam replies as she snickers and shakes her head. She heads back to the bar and sits back down asking the bartender for another gin and tonic.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" asks Kyle who followed her over to the bar.

"You're not my father, Kyle. So just butt out. Will you." Samantha replies.

"You're right. I'm not your father. I'm just a concerned owner and friend who doesn't want to see you get in an accident while driving home drunk. When you get ready to leave, you let me know. I'll call you a cab." says Kyle.

"Thanks, but I can call my own." Sam replies.

After a few minutes and a few sips on her next gin and tonic, Samantha looks back over at the table and sees that once again they are all staring in her direction. Megan has stood up and is walking toward her. Sam is certain that Megan is coming over to her to try to make peace. She quickly contemplates how she's going to respond to her, but before she can think Megan is standing right next to her.

"What are you doing here?" Megan asks. Before Samantha can open her mouth, she hears a voice come from behind her.

"Not that it's any of your damn business, but I'm here for three things, none of which are you." Michael replies to her. Megan walks right past Samantha and goes over to Michael who is sitting three empty chairs away from her at the bar. Samantha takes a deep breath and turns back to her drink while listening in on Michael and Megan's conversation.

"Okay, I'll bite." Megan responds and then takes a deep breath. "What three things?"

"Well let's see. I'm here for the music, the booze, and to reflect on things." Michael replies.

"Reflect on what, Michael?" asks Megan. "The mess you've made of your life and how you've driven away everyone who cares about you?"

"Oh, here we go again. Miss Self Righteous came over here to thumb her nose down at me. Spare me the reprimand, Mother Theresa." Michael replies as he takes a sip of the glass of scotch in front of him. "In case you forgot, today just happens to be the one year anniversary that Kimberly died."

"Oh yeah, that's right." Megan replies, her expression turning to one of sympathy. "Michael, I am so sorry. I completely forgot."

"Yeah. You forgot because you're too busy playing footsies with Dr. Jekyll over there." Michael says referring to Coop. "And you've managed to turn my sister against me, probably the last person on Earth who doesn't think that I'm a piece of trash."

"Michael, don't do this" Megan pleads. Samantha continues to listen in on their conversation with interest. "Look, why don't you come over and have a drink with Coop and I, and we can all reflect on Kimberly together?"

"Uhm, no thanks. I can say in all honesty I think I would rather clean up dog vomit on the sidewalk with my tongue than sit at any table with Coop and you." Michael retorts angrily. Samantha puts a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"What did we ever do to you to make you so full of hate towards us?" Megan asks.

"Oh let's see, I don't know." Michael replies sarcastically. "Coop comes to L.A., pretends to be my friend but secretly plots behind my back. He sabotages my career, gets me removed from chief of staff at the hospital…."

"Which you only got by scheming Peter out of it…." Megan interrupts.

"He sabotages my glove and steals the company I started with Craig." Michael adds.

"Which was his idea in the first place." Megan says

"He enduced Amber to make a scene at the Doctors dinner and then convinced Peter to throw me out of my practice. And to top it off, he stole you away from me just to rub my face in the dirt." Michael says.

"Woah, hold it." Megan says. "He didn't end us. That was all you who did that. It was you who lied to me and cheated on me. And even if Coop and I were to break up, there's no way you and I are ever getting back together. You know, Michael, maybe you need to stop blaming everyone else for your downfall and take a good long look in the mirror."

"Yeah, right." Michael replies. "You know, I've been thinking all day about Kimberly, and you know it struck me. As much as I loved her, she is the reason that both you and Coop were brought into my life. And the two of you, as well as Peter are completely to blame for my life falling apart." Michael says as he pauses. "Well, the day will come when all of you will regret the day you ever messed with me. And in the mean time you and Doctor Hitler over there can go to hell." he says as he turns back to his half drank glass of Scotch.

Megan shakes her head. "You know, Michael, in a way one good thing about Kimberly being dead is that she didn't live long enough to see what a disgusting human being you turned out to be. I'll never know how she was able to love a piece of slime like you." Megan says and begins to walk back to her table.

At this point, an incensed Michael stands up and aggressively grabs Megan by the arm. "Don't you ever, EVER, talk about her like that again." Michael screams, pointing a finger right in Megan's face. At this point Coop jumps up and runs over to them and pushes Michael back from Megan.

"Get your hands off of her, Mancini." Coop says. Michael doesn't respond but balls up his fist and punches Coop in the face knocking him to the floor of the jazz club.

"Michael, are you crazy!" Megan yells. Samantha turns to look at them. She's listened to everything that was said. While she doesn't know the whole story, she finds she empathizes a lot with Michael. Like him, the person she was married to is now with somebody who she trusted as a friend, and now he's left with nobody.

"Coop, are you alright." Megan asks as she helps him up. Coop grabs his jaw, but then quickly fires back at Michael punching him in the stomach, and then the face. Michael tries to fight back and the two end up wrestling. Jennifer who was in the middle of having a drink sees what is going on and jumps up and runs over to try to help break up Michael and Coop. Forgetting that she is still holding a glass, she stumbles on her way over and spills her drink onto Samantha.

"Oops, oh my god, I'm sorry." Jennifer says, knowing that she spilled her drink on someone but not realizing at first that it was Sam. Sam turns to Jennifer, her hair dripping wet. She glares at her with rage.

"I'll make you sorry, bitch." she says in a calm yet angry tone. Sam lunges at Jennifer who is ready for her and the two begin to wrestle right next to Michael and Coop there at the jazz club. In a matter of seconds, Kyle sees what is going on and runs over and with the help of several employees, separates Michael and Coop. Billy gets up from his table and helps to pull Samantha and Jennifer apart.

"Hey! Everyone knock it off right now! This is a jazz club, not the World Wrestling Federation." Kyle screams as all the fighting participants are separated and order is slowly maintained. "Now what is going on here?" Kyle asks

"He started manhandling her. I just jumped in to stop him." Coop says, referring to Michael and Megan.

"Oh, nice try, Superman. But I was just sitting here minding my own business when Ms. Morals here started reading me the riot act." Michael retorts to Coop.

"Uhm, I can vouch for that." Samantha says butting in. "He was just sitting there."

"Sam, why don't you just shut up?" Jennifer says.

"Why don't you make me, bitch?" Sam replies back to her, trying to shove Jennifer but Billy gets in the way to break them up. Everyone starts arguing and jawing back and forth at each other.

"Look, everyone just shut up, all right!" Kyle screams, taking control of the situation. "You and you, out of here right now." Kyle says pointing to Michael and Samantha.

"What?" Michael and Samantha say simultaneously.

"What's the deal, Kyle? I didn't do anything. I was just sitting here quietly, trying to enjoy my drink when Megan came over and started bothering me.." Michael says.

"Yeah, me too. I mean these people are over there cracking jokes at me, and you're throwing me out?" Samantha whines.

"Hey, I'm sorry. It's nothing personal, but both of you have had too much to drink and we've been getting complaints from some of the other customers as well that you're causing a scene." Kyle says. "Now give me your car keys, both of you. I'm calling a cab."

"Yeah, fat chance. I'm going someplace where I can drink in peace." Michael says angrily as he takes out his wallet and flings a few bills down on the counter to pay his tab, then starts to dart for the exit.

"Yeah, me too." Samantha says as she grabs her purse and starts to follow Michael out. Kyle moves in front of them and blocks the exit, standing in the middle of the door way and extending his arm to completely block their path.

"Call a cab." Kyle orders the bartender. Michael and Samantha stand their looking at him. "Neither of you are leaving until you give me your car keys."

"So what, are you threatening me, Mister tough guy marine?" Michael retorts back.

"No threats, Michael. I'm just a friend who refuses to see either of you drive home drunk and get killed in an accident. Because then, I'd have to live with that on my conscious, and that's not something I'm prepared to deal with." Kyle explains. "Now, are you two going to give me your car keys or are we going to stand here all night?"

Michael and Sam both look disgruntled as they look around, then realizing they have no choice reach into their pockets and hand over their keys to Kyle.

"A cab will be here in five minutes." says the bartender.

"Thank you." Kyle replies. "Right this way, you two." Kyle says to Michael and Sam who follow him downstairs and outside as Megan, Coop, Billy, and Jennifer watch on and talk amongst themselves.

Kyle grabs a piece of paper and a pen from his restaurant downstairs and scribbles down the address to Michael's beach house and the apartment complex on a piece of paper. As he walks back outside to the parking lot where Michael and Sam are, he sees that a cab has pulled up. He walks over to the cab.

"You know something, Kyle. I ought to take your ass to court for this." Michael says angrily.

"Well buddy, I don't think you're going to be in much of a position to take anyone to court. I heard about your little law suit with Peter and Coop. So my advice is go home and sleep it off and get your life in order." Kyle says.

"This is so unfair, Kyle. You throw us out, but not them? You're taking their side?" Samantha asks.

"I'm not taking anyone's side, Sam. Look, it's obvious you two both got issues going on in your lives and came here to drown your sorrows with alcohol. Now whatever it is, that's your business. But when you cause scene and disturb my other customers, then it becomes my business. Do I make myself clear?" Kyle says assertively.

Michael shakes it head in disgust and gets in the cab. Samantha looks at Kyle and rolls her eyes. "Whatever" she says to him. Kyle walks around to the driver's window and hands him the paper with the addresses on it along with several twenty dollar bills that he had in his pocket.

"Take these two home, please. Their addresses are on the paper. That should cover the fare, but if it doesn't come back here and I'll cover it." Kyle says to the driver who nods and drives off.

* * *

Samantha and Michael are both sitting in the back seat of the taxi as the driver drives toward Michael's beach house.

"I can't believe this. You know it isn't enough Coop stole my wife, my practice, my chief of staff job, but now he's turned everyone against me, including my own sister." Michael complains.

"Yeah, well no offense, but you're way better not having that little bitch on your side, because all she'll do is stick a knife in your back." Replies Sam.

Michael snickers for a second than turns to Sam. "Wait, hold up a second. Did my little sister do something to you?" he asks.

"Oh, you mean besides push me into having an affair so she could move right in and steal my husband? Oh no. And now she and Billy have convinced everyone what a terrible person I am. Hell, she even had him calling her the innocent one. She's got the wool pulled so far over his and everyone else's eyes." Samantha says.

"Ohhhh, that's Jennifer all right. She always was really good at getting everyone to side with her. She's practically turned my whole family against me."

"No way." Samantha replies in disbelief.

"Yep. She started at a very young age. You know at my grandpa's 80th birthday party, she snuck into the kitchen and ate his entire birthday cake by herself and ruined the whole party. Then she twisted the whole thing around and told my parents that I pushed her into doing it, so who gets punished? Me." Michael says.

Samantha lets out a slight chuckle. "Oh, that's terrible." she says.

"Yeah, and she's the one who started the fire at my father's bakery just as I was starting med school. But did she get blamed for it? Oh no, I get read the riot act for not helping out more, even though I had to quit the high school track team to work there." Michael says.

"Oh my god." Samantha replies.

"And a couple years ago, when I finally got my own medical practice here in L.A., not one family member called to congratulate me because they were all too busy helping poor little Jennifer cope with the affair that she was having with Kyle in Boston." Michael says.

"Wait. She had an affair with Kyle back in Boston?" asks Samantha.

"Yeah. And when Kyle wouldn't leave Taylor for her, she went into a depression and the whole family coddled and babied her while I was ignored and labeled the black sheep of the family." Michael says.

"Oh that's so awful, Michael. I'm sorry that you got the misfortune of having such a she-devil as your sister." says Samantha, showing a smile for the first time as she finally feels like somebody is relating to her.

"Well hey, I'm sorry that she played you and it cost you your marriage. You know, I knew something was going on. She had her eyes on Billy for months, why I have no idea." says Michael. "And she's sided with everyone who's against me, Coop, Megan, Peter, Craig. Now she's even got Kyle throwing me out of the club. I'll tell you, that whole little group of pompas arrogant backstabbers just really annoys me. You know what I mean?"

Samantha continues to smile. "Well, just be grateful you got this nice quiet beach house to go to. Atleast you don't have to live in the same apartment complex with those hypocrites. I swear the way I'm feeling tonight, if I walk in and have to see my soon to be ex-husband sucking face with your sister one more time, I may wind up killing them both." Sam says as Michael chuckles slightly. "It sucks because I'm too drunk to drive, but drunk enough to stop being pissed."

As the taxi gets within a few blocks of Michael's beach house, there's a few moments of silence as both Michael and Sam ponder things. Both are feeling miserable and both are looking to drown their troubles in alcohol. Both of them would prefer someone to drink with, but both have made too many enemies to ask anyone. Finally, Michael speaks up.

"Hey, you know, Sam I can't really blame you for not wanting to go back to the apartment complex with Billy them there. So if you want, you're welcome to stay out at the beach house tonight." Michael suggests.

Sam turns to him, a little surprised but glad he asked. "Uhm, are you sure, Michael? I don't want to put you out or anything." Sam replies.

"Hey you're not putting me out. I got a couch that folds out into a bed and a few bottles of wine that I really shouldn't drink all by myself. So what do you say? You can help me toast the memory of Kimberly." Michael says.

Sam ponders it for a minute. She doesn't really know Michael that well, but this has been the only time in days that she's actually not felt miserable and bitter. "You know what, sure. Why not?" Sam says.

"All right." Michael replies with a smile. "Hey man, we're both going to be getting out at my place." Michael says to the driver.

"Uhm, the guy back at the restaurant gave me directions to…" The driver starts to say, but gets cut off by Michael.

"Well, the guy at the restaurant isn't here, is he?" Michael replies. "Besides, won't you get a much bigger tip by making just one stop rather than two?"

"Sure. Whatever." says the taxi driver."

The taxi pulls up to the front of the beach house and both Michael and Sam get out and stumble up the stairs into the front door.

* * *

About an hour later, Michael and Sam are in the living room of the beach house. The stereo is turned up loud and there are several open bottles of wine and champagne on the coffee table in front of the couch. Michael has also put an old picture of him and Kimberly on the coffee table. Michael and Sam are each holding a glass of wine. The two are laughing hysterically as they are clearly intoxicated. Michael is sitting on the couch while Sam is sitting on the floor with her legs stretched out underneath the coffee table. Michael is entertaining Sam with old stories about his past failed marriages.

"So Sydney storms out of the apartment past Jane in her wedding dress. Jane follows her, madder than hell. Jane grabs the dress and threatens to rip it off. Syd and Jane wrestle right there in the courtyard, and both of them fall in the pool, Syd with the dress still on." Michael says as he laughs and finishes his bottle of wine. Samantha laughs hysterically.

"Oh my god, that is so funny. I would have paid to see Sydney in the pool with her wedding dress on. That must have been a sight." says Samantha as she and Michael continue to laugh.

"Yeah, and I came home from the hospital that afternoon, and there was Sydney trying to dry out the dress with a hair dryer." Michael replies. At that point both Michael and Sam laugh hysterically due in part to the effect of the alcohol and Michael's stories. "Oh that Sydney, she was a real hoot. Though not as much as Kimberly."

"Yeah. She sounds like she was somebody really special." Samantha suggests.

Michael nods. "Special is one way to put it. Our good times were great, and our bad times were, well…." Michael says as he pauses. "Of the four different women I've been married to, she was the only one who actually tolerated my infidelity. I mean let's see I cheated on her with Sydney, Jane, Amanda, Megan, oh yeah and there was that one beauty pageant contestant, that one was ugly. And Kimberly knew about all of them, but she still kept taking me back."

"Yeah, too bad Billy wasn't as understanding. I mean he yelled and screamed at me when he found out about my affair with Jeff when the whole time he'd been screwing around with your sister behind my back." Samantha replies. Michael nods.

Michael holds up his glass of wine to Kimberly's picture. "Here's to Kimberly." he says.

"To Kimberly. I didn't know you, but you sound way better than any of the jerks in my life." Sam says with an intoxicated smile. The two clink glasses and finish off the wine that's left in their glass. At that point, Michael gets up and begins looking in his wine cabinet.

"Okay, so let's see. We've been to Italy and we've been to France. Where to next?" Michael asks as he rummages through his wine bottles.

"Oh, I don't know, Michael. I probably should get to bed. I mean, I do have work in the morning, and thanks to Billy, I'm already on thin ice with Amanda." Sam says as she hiccups.

"Come on, just one more glass." Michael insists as he reaches into the back of the cabinet and pulls out an opened bottle. "Ahhh, here we go, a little something from Spain. This one's left over from my second wedding with Kimberly. We were saving it for when I finally became chief of staff, but by that time she'd already kicked the bucket." Michael says as he shrugs his shoulders. "Well, what the hell. Never a better time than the present." he says as he pops the cork. Samantha just sits there as she takes in the classical music between played on the stereo.

"You know, Michael, I'm as big of a classical music fan as they come. But even I have my limit. Can't we find something more…I don't know, appropriate." suggests Sam.

"Uhh, appropriate? What do you mean?" asks Michael as he puts the bottle down on the coffee table.

"Well, we've spent the whole night talking about how horrible marriage is and the people we've been married to; Billy, Megan, Sydney. And I couldn't agree with more. This whole love and marriage thing is enough to make me want to vomit. So do you have anything that expresses that?" Sam asks.

Michael grins at Sam. "I got just the thing. You pour the wine, and I'll put on the tunes." he says. Sam begins to pour the wine into their two empty wine glasses. Michael goes over to his book case where he keeps his music CDs and grabs one and puts it on the stereo. As Sam pours the wine, Michael turns the volume up as Love Stinks from J Giles Band begins to play loudly, reverberating throughout the beach house.

Sam smiles and nods. "Very appropriate." she says as she gets up and walks out to the middle of the living room floor and hands Michael his drink.

 _You love her, but she loves him._

 _And he loves somebody else, you just can't win._

 _And so it goes till the day you die._

 _This thing they called love is gonna make you cry._

 _I've had the blues, the reds, and the pinks._

 _One thing's for sure, Love Stinks._

"I'd like to propose a toast and dedicate this song to all the Billys, Megans, Coops, and Jennifers of this world. May you all live a long, lonely, and miserable existence." Sam says as she holds up her glass of wine.

"Here, here." Michael says as he clinks glasses again with Sam. The two then chug their glasses. An inebriated Michael throws his wine glass over his shoulder and it shatters on the beach house floor.

"Hey, isn't that an expensive glass?" Sam asks.

Michael shrugs. "Who cares?" he replies. Same just laughs and throws her glass over to the same spot where Michael's broke as it also shatters. The drunken duo just laughs and begin to dance to the music. Sam starts moving her hips and Michael laughs and starts trying to move drunkenly to the beat of the music.

Eventually Sam puts her arms over Michael's shoulders and Michael puts her hands on her waist. The two try to dance in coordination but the alcohol in their systems throws them both of balance and they both go falling to the floor, but neither one care as they both laugh drunkenly.

"I never could dance." Sam says while laughing.

"Oh my…Are you okay?" Michael chuckles as he stumbles to his feet and then goes over to help Samantha up. Sam puts her arms around Michaels shoulders as he lifts her to her feet, both of them still laughing hysterically while Love Stinks continues playing in the background.

The two slowly stop laughing as Samantha keeps her arms wrapped around Michael's shoulders and leans on him to support her balance. Michael looks back at her. And suddenly as the two of them look at each other, the alcohol starts to stimulate both of their sex drives. Not caring about the consequences of the next day, Samantha slowly leans in and gives Michael a quick kiss on the lips.

Feeling aroused from the kiss, Michael leans in and kisses Samantha passionately. Within seconds the two of them open their mouths and slip their tongues into the other ones. Sam runs her hands through Michaels hair as he embraces her back.

Michael starts to push on Sam, who walks backwards towards the bedroom. Michael continues to hold her back for support and to guide her towards the bedroom, while doing so he reaches down and unbuttons his shirt then takes it off and throws it on the living room floor.

When they reach the door of the bedroom, Sam breaks from the kiss and reaches down and pulls her black cashmere sweater off over her head, throwing it on the floor as well and revealing a black bra that she's wearing. As the two go into the beach house bedroom, Michael closes the door behind him.

Sam reaches down and grabs Michael's white undershirt and he helps lift it up over his head and take it off revealing his bare chest. Samantha falls backwards onto Michael's bed as he lands on top of her.

Michael begins to kiss Sam's neck as the two of them slowly and passionately begin to remove the rest of their clothes and engage in hot, steamy, intoxicated love making.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. 2: Rubbing your face in it

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Melrose Place or any of the characters involved in this story.**

* * *

The sun rises on a typically smoggy L.A. morning on the beach. The bright yellow glow of the sun gleams in the bedroom window of the beach house, where Michael has been living for nearly five years now. With the sound of the ocean waves and seagulls outside, Michael lies asleep in his bed, and like many of the mornings over the last 5 years, he isn't alone.

However, the woman lying next to him isn't Kimberly, or Sydney, or Megan. It is somebody who he barely knows. Samantha rolls over onto her side, facing towards Michael and stretches her arm out over his chest. She is still in a half awaken state, so she isn't entirely aware of where she is or who she's with. Both are fully nude underneath the covers. Michael makes a groaning noise, and turns his head in the other direction. But suddenly both are awaken by the clock radio alarm on the night stand next to the bed, and an unusually cheerful song.

The cheery song "Good Morning" from the movie "Singing in the Rain" blares out over the radio and into the beach house bedroom. Both Michael and Samantha are suffering from mild hangovers due to their heavy drinking the previous night which only adds to their already sour moods.

" _Good Mornin. Good Mornin."_

" _We've danced the whole night through."_

" _Good Morning. Good Mornin to you."_

"Oh, shut up." Michael grumbles softly as he slowly starts to awake to a pounding headache. The cheerful song continues to play. "I said shut up." Michael says louder. The melody of Good Morning continues to play. "Damn it! Shut the hell up! Just shut up!" Michael screams in anger as he sits up, grabs his clock radio, yanks the electrical cord from out of the wall out and throws it across the room, landing it on the dresser. He plunges back down into bed as Samantha, having heard the commotion, slowly begins to wake up to the same pounding headache.

"If you know who the people are that sing this happy cheerful crap, give me their address so I can punch each one of them in the face." Samantha grumbles as she sits up in bed and rubs her forehead with her hand. "God, what is this? It feels like a million tiny little dwarfs inside my head hammering the inside of my eyelids with pick axes." Sam adds.

"That's what they refer to in the medical industry as Veisalgia, more commonly known as a hangover." Michael says in a groggy tone as he sits back up again. Sam slowly starts to take in her surroundings and then looks over and at Michael. For the first time she fully realizes where she is at and who she is with.

"Michael, what am I….what happened?" Samantha asks as she sits up and covers her front with a bedsheet.

"You mean you don't remember?" Michael asks.

"I remember we got in a fight with Jennifer and Megan at Kyle's, then he kicked us both out and we got in a taxi, and I got out at your place and…." Samantha says as she tries to glue the pieces of the previous night from her hazy memory. She then turns her head and looks at Michael. "This is going to sound like a stupid question, but uhm….did you and I have sex last night?"

Michael rubs the sleep dust out of his eyes. "Well, it's kind of foggy for me too. But let's examine the facts, shall we. We were both drunk last night and here in my house. And now it's the next morning, and you're in my bed and we're both naked. Given those facts, I'd say the probability of what you just asked is extremely high." he replies in a half sarcastic tone, trying to be funny but kind of mumbling his words.

"Oh my god." Samantha moans as she lies back down in the bed and puts her hand to her forehead.

"Look, you don't have to worry. I won't breathe a word of it to anybody. It'll be our little secret." Michael says in an exasperated tone as he gets up and puts on a pair of boxer shorts and a gray t-shirt.

"No, that's not it. I just wish I could remember if you were any good or not." Samantha mutters.

"Well, I didn't hear any complaints last night, and so far you haven't thrown up in the toilet, so I couldn't have been the worst you ever had." Michael says jokingly to Samantha who looks at him with concern. "Look Sam, bottom line is you and I both had a bad night last night. We both got thrown out of Kyle's and were pissed off. You came in, we had some drinks and some laughs, and it went a little too far. Now you seem like a nice girl and a lot of fun, but well, my life is kind of in the toilet right now and given that and the fact that Megan had a lot to do with putting me there, I'm kind of not in the mood for any kind of serious relationship right now. Not to mention, I cheat on everyone. I've been married to 4 women, I cheated on every one of them and all 4 times it ended horribly. So if that's where your thoughts are…." Michael rambles, getting cut off in mid-sentence

"They're not." Sam replies as she rolls over to face Michael. "Like you, my life also stinks. And this whole thing with Billy and Jennifer, as well as the fact that Jeff immediately ran back to his old girlfriend the moment I broke up with him has soured me on relationships, possibly forever." Samantha says as she looks at Michael and grins.

"Well, take it from me, that's a good thing." He replies.

"But hey, I'll give you points. At least you admit to being a cheater. Unlike Billy, who tries to act all innocent and make me out to be the cheat while he was doing the horizontal mambo with Jennifer the whole time."

"Uh Sam, please….It's the morning, and I have a raging headache from this hangover. The last thing I need is a mental image engraved in my head of my sister in bed naked with a loser like Billy." Michael says, sparking a chuckle from Sam.

At that point there is a loud knock on the front door of the beach house that they hear from back in the bedroom.

"Michael?" shouts Megan from outside the door.

"Megan." Michael says out loud with a look of angst on his face.

"Michael, come on, open up. It's Jen." Jennifer yells from outside, revealing that she is outside with Megan. Michael rolls his eyes with a look of both frustration and anxiety at the situation he now finds himself in. Given the mess his life has become, he does not want either Jennifer or Megan to find out that Samantha spent the night. Samantha on the other hand turns flush red in the face with rage upon hearing Jennifer's voice.

"That little backstabbing home wrecker, what is she doing here? I just can't get away from her." Samantha mutters. She gets out of bed, covering her naked body with the bedsheet. "I'm going to wrap my hands around her neck and…" Sam says as she charges for the door, but Michael catches her.

"Easy…Easy…." Michael whispers in a calm voice. "That's my sister. I'll handle her. Okay."

"Michael, that bitch has single handedly wrecked my marriage and my life. Not to mention all the things she said about me behind my back. I'm not going to let her get away with it." Sam argues.

"Okay, look, that's between you and her. But this is not the time, or the place. I got enough problems in my life without getting in the middle of that. Besides, if she and Megan see you in here like this, don't you think that will get everyone talking even more?" suggests Michael.

Sam takes a deep breath, calming her nerves and then nods. "Okay, I'm sorry you're right. Please just get rid of them." Samantha says.

"Fine, just stay here and don't make any noise and don't come out of the bedroom until they're gone." Michael says as he puts on a dark blue bathrobe to cover himself. Michael walks out of the bedroom and takes one look around at the kitchen and living room. He sees that the place is a mess with empty wine bottles on the coffee table and broken glasses on the floor. He doesn't have time to clean it up, but he spots some of Samantha's clothes on the floor and grabs them and throws them back into the bedroom and closes the door so that neither Megan or Jennifer will see them. There is another knock on the door, only much louder.

"All right! Keep your shirt on! I'm coming!" shouts an annoyed Michael as he opens up the front door to the beach house and sees Megan and Jennifer starring at him. There is a couple seconds of awkward silence before Jennifer finally speaks up.

"Michael, bro, you look like a mess." Jennifer says referring to his uncombed her and the fact that his bath robe is partially open exposing his chest. "God, and you smell like a brewery." she adds, smelling the alcohol on his breath that is still resonating from the previous night.

"What are you, Jennifer, the hygiene police? Actually forget it; just tell me what the hell you two are doing here." Michael says in a grouchy and unwelcoming tone.

"Actually, we're here because we promised Kyle that we'd drop off your car that you left at the club last night." Megan says

"I didn't leave my car there. It's not like Kyle gave me much of a choice. Anyways, just give me the damn keys." Michael says.

Megan drops the car keys into Michael's hand. He stands there looking annoyed.

"Your welcome?" Jennifer says, suggesting that Michael should say thank you.

"Thank you." replies a surly Michael. "And now that you've done your good deed, why don't you both do another one and get the hell out of here?" Michael says as he turns around and walks back inside. He tries to close the door on the them, but Megan and Jennifer follow him in before he can. In the bedroom, Samantha, listens in behind the closed door.

Michael slams his car keys down on the kitchen counter and walks over to the refrigerator to look inside for something to make for breakfast. Megan and Jennifer look around the living room and see the mess. They see that the sofa has been messed up along with the empty bottles of wine on the counter. Megan then looks down as she notices her high heels have stepped on the broken glasses from where Michael and Samantha threw their glasses.

"Michael, what went on here last night?" Megan asks in a serious tone.

"Drinking, Megan, and lots of it." Michael answers. "And no, I don't want to hear your opinion on the evils of drinking. If I wanted that, I'd pick up the phone and call Betty Ford. Not to mention your opinion doesn't mean squat to me anymore."

Megan sighs as Jennifer looks on with concern. "Look Michael, Megan has some very important news that she wants to share with you." Jennifer says.

"Let me guess, you, Coop, and Peter still aren't through with your agenda to destroy my life and my reputation, so you're planning to have me tarred and feathered in front of the entire staff at Wilshire Memorial?" Michael suggests in a harshly sarcastic tone to Megan.

"Michael, Coop has an interview next week with one of the best medical research companies on the east coast. And if he gets the job, I'll be going with him." Megan says. Jennifer and Megan await Michael's reaction as Samantha continues to listen at the door intently. Michael pauses for a moment, taking in what he just heard, then starts to laugh.

"Well, that's just great, Megan." Michael says with a sarcastic grin. "I guess congratulations are in order. And thank you so much for stopping by to rub my face in your wonderful fairy tale ending. While you're at it, why don't you tell me that Coop just won the lottery and the two of you are going to spend the summer in Maui going to luaus and sipping Pina Coladas every night." Michael replies angrily

"I'm not rubbing your face in anything, Michael. I thought that maybe if you heard that I might be leaving and you'll never be seeing me again…." Megan says.

"Never see you again? And why is that?" Michael interrupts, cutting Megan off. "Where exactly would you and Dr. Wacko be going? Tell me, what east coast medical research company is stupid enough to hire that bozo?"

"Coop is not a bozo. He happens to be one of the brightest doctors in all of L.A. And forget it, Michael, I'm not telling you where we're going. If you haven't been mature enough to handle Coop and I being in a relationship than you certainly aren't mature enough to handle this." Megan retorts.

Michael laughs. "Mature? You think Coop is mature? He comes out here to L.A. with an ax to grind because he blames me for Kimberly's death. I lose my chief of staff job, my practice, and my job at Wilshire memorial, not to mention my wife to that slime ball. And then to top it off, after ruining my life and taking everything from me, I get to listen to you come over to my house and tell me your little happily ever after story. Well you can take your little good news and stick it, you hear?"

Megan shakes her head in disgust at Michael and starts to walk. "This was obviously a mistake." she cries.

"No, the only mistake was when Kimberly hooked you up with me. And to think, it all started while jogging on the beach out there when you came jogging up beside me. If I had only known back then what kind of a person you really are I would have told you to get lost right then and there. Because now, everything I've ever worked for, all the years of medical school and interning are down the drain, thanks to Coop and his scheming. From sabotaging my glove, to planting the note from Dr. Schulman, to getting Amber drunk at the medical reception so she'd wind up making me look like an ass. And the whole time you just sat by and watched it happened and didn't do a damn thing about it. Well, you just remember one thing when you and Coop move into your new mansion back east. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be just a cheap West Hollywood whore. And that's something you'll always have to live with."

Megan turns around and walks toward Michael. Jennifer looks on with shock and dismay at what her brother just said to his ex-wife. Sam continues to listen in at the door. Megan walks up to Michael and with as much force as she can muster, slaps him right in the face. Sam winces and grits her teeth as she hears the slap vibrate through the door. Michael grabs his cheek and rubs it for a moment before turning to look at Megan who has tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Go to hell, you bastard." Megan cries as she goes running out of the front door, slamming it behind her. Michael grabs one of the empty wine bottles on the coffee table in front of the couch and throws it at the front door. It hits the door shattering and making the pile of broken glass on the floor even bigger.

"You've really fallen off the wagon this time, bro." Jennifer says as to Michael as throws her hands up in the air and rolls her eyes in disbelief. "You know, every time I think you've hit bottom, you always manage to outdo yourself." Jennifer says to Michael.

"Don't start on me, little sister." Michael warns as he turns to Jennifer and points his finger at her

"You're right, Michael. What would be the point? You never listen to anything that anybody says to you anyways. So why bother." Jennifer replies as she walks around and looks at the mess the beach house living room is in.

"Hey, everything I said was the truth. Besides, like I'm going to listen to someone who has helped try to destroy my life? Megan's been in this with Coop for a long time. The two of them have been working together to destroy me for a long time. And guess what, they succeeded and now that they have, they're leaving town." Michael replies.

"Destroy you?" Jennifer says. "You just insulted and humiliated one of the few people left in the world who actually wants to help you. In fact that's the real reason she came over here. She was going to offer to try to talk to Peter into giving you your old job back at Wilshire Memorial."

"Yeah, right. Like, I'm supposed to believe that. Megan hates my guts, Jennifer. I know deep down inside that she's loving every second of seeing me like this. Hell, she and Coop probably entertain themselves at night in between sex with the story of the great fall of Dr. Mancini. If she had the means, I bet she'd try to make a made for tv movie about it." Michael replies.

"God, you know sometimes I can't believe we're from the same parents." Jennifer replies. "Megan may not love you anymore, Michael. But there's still a piece of her that's grateful to you. She feels like she owes you because you're the one who rescued her from her old life of being a prostitute. So before she leaves L.A., assuming Coop does get the job back east, she wants to make sure everything is okay with you so she can move on with her life with a nice clear conscious. But how can you be expected to understand anything about a conscious when you have none?"

"Oh like you have any room to lecture me about having a conscious, Jennifer." Michael says

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" replies Jennifer.

"Well don't you think it's a tad hypocritical of you to lecture me on my morality after you intentionally broke up Sam's marriage to Billy so you could put the moves on him?" Michael says. Samantha starts to listen at the bedroom intently.

"Great, Michael. That's just perfect. Take Sam's side over mine. I thought we Mancinis were supposed to stick together through thick and thin." Jennifer says..

"Yeah, I thought so too. But you've been taking Megan and Coops side over me for months. You might as well have just pushed me off a cliff. I guess now you know how it feels like." Michael says.

"Whatever, Michael. I'm not going to feel guilty over the mess you've made of your life." Jennifer replies as she starts towards the door. "You know, I hope you pull yourself together and let go of all this bitterness. Because I see what its doing to Sam. I see how she's alienated all her friends and how her career is falling apart. And you're going down that exact same path. And unless you stop blaming everyone else for your problems, you're going to wind up a pathetic lonely loser just like her." Jennifer says as she starts walking to the door. Samantha clinches her fists and grits her teeth with rage upon hearing Jennifer call her a loser. She starts to charge out of the bedroom, but realizes she isn't dressed. Sam starts to pick her clothes up off the floor and tries to hurriedly get dressed.

"Just tell me one thing, Jennifer. Who is this interview with that Coop has back east? Where would he be taking Megan?" Michael asks as he tries to calm his anger.

Jennifer shakes her head. "Forget it, Michael. If Megan wants you to know, she'll tell you herself. But I wouldn't count on that happening, not after what you said." Jennifer says as she opens the front door and walks out but turns around once she gets outside. "Oh by the way, just so you know, Billy and I are moving in together. So if I were you, I wouldn't come by my place too often. He doesn't exactly like you very much, like everyone else I know."

"Well, he can shove it, too. Because believe me, the feeling is more than mutual." Michael scream as Jennifer walks out and closes the front door behind her. In frustration, Michael grabs an empty beer bottle from last night and throws it at the door after its shut. The broken glass on the floor now continues to pile up. Michael goes over and plops down on the couch and takes in everything that just happened. About 30 seconds later, Samantha comes running out of the bedroom. She's only half dressed. She has her jeans on and is bare footed. Her bra is on, but she only has one arm inside her sweater and isn't even trying to get the other one in.

"Where is she? I'm going to kill that slut! Call me a loser!" Samantha yells as she darts toward the front door. Michael jumps up off the couch and goes over and grabs Sam before she gets half way to the door. "Let me go, Michael. I want at her."

"Okay, I'll let you go, Sam. But first I want to point out two things. Number one, you're not wearing any shoes. And number two, look at all the broken glass on the floor. So I'd think twice about chasing after my sister if I were you." Michael says as Sam takes a look down and sees all the broken glass courtesy of her and Michael throwing glasses last night along with wine and beer bottles this morning.

Sam takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself. She is feeling nothing but anger, hatred, and rage at that very moment, and it's all directed towards Jennifer and Billy.

"Look, you just need to calm down and get a grip. We both do actually." Michael says.

"Yeah, I'd like to grip my hands around your sister's throat." Sam says in a hostile tone.

"Believe me, I know. I'd like to do the same thing to Coop and Megan right now myself. But I'm afraid the law doesn't look too kindly on that sort of thing." Michael says as Sam just sighs and turns around. "Listen, I'm going to clean up this mess and then I'll make us some coffee and breakfast for this hangover. Why don't you go take a shower and get ready to leave?

Sam buries her head in her hands for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Okay. All right. I won't kill your sister, at least not today." Samantha says as she turns around and walks back to the bedroom closing the door.

"Towels are in the bathroom on the left." Michael shouts as Samantha goes into the bathroom door, closing it. Michael grabs a broom and begins to sweep the glass off of the floor. At this point, the front door opens up again and Jennifer pops her head in the door.

"Oh, and one more piece of news. Billy booked two tickets for a week on a luxury cruise several months back with Sam. But since they aren't together anymore, he's taking me instead. I think he might actually propose to me, once his whole ugly divorce with Sam is out of the way." Jennifer says. Samantha can't hear her this time as she's in the bathroom.

Michael looks up at his sister. "That's great, Jennifer. Call me if he falls overboard and drowns so I can celebrate. Otherwise, leave me the hell alone." asks Michael.

"Gladly" Jennifer says as she turns around and walks out the door, leaving a disgruntled Michael and Samantha in the beach house all though neither Jennifer nor Megan were ever aware that Sam was there the whole time.

* * *

A short time later, Samantha comes out from the bedroom. She is wearing her cashmere sweater, blue jeans, and heels from the previous day. Michael is still in his bathrobe. He finishes cooking breakfast as he has two plates of eggs and sausage in either of his hands. He places one on the kitchen counter in front of Sam, who has just sat down. "There you go. Get some food in you. It'll help the hangover." Michael says as he wipes his hand and then grabs his breakfast plate and sits at the kitchen counter.

"Oh, well score another point for you. At least you're willing to cook a girl breakfast in the morning. Billy, the chauvinist pig he is, always expected me to cook everything." Sam grumbles as she takes her fork and starts to dig into his eggs.

"Look Sam, I just want to make sure that we're in complete agreement on this. What happened between us last night was a one night stand. I mean I have too much crap going on in my life at the moment between trying to sell the clinic, find a hospital and a practice that will take me on if there are any left in L.A. that Peter and Coop haven't turned against me. Plus this whole thing with Taylor being pregnant, and the paternity test, and God I hope it's not me as the father and….." Michael rambles as he momentarily forgets he's revealing too much info.

"Wait, Taylor's pregnant?" asks a curious Samantha, cutting Michael off. "And you might be the father?"

Michael looks up at Sam with a look like he just got his hand caught in the cookie jar.

"Hey, it's okay. I won't tell anyone." Samantha says. "Look, I told you. I don't want a relationship either. And I agree, last night was a one night stand. Now whatever's going on in your life, Michael, is your business. But honestly, you're the only person in the world who relates to me right now. And well, I could just really use a friend." Samantha says, her voice and demeanor becoming sadder.

Michael reaches out to Samantha and grabs her hand. "I am your friend, Sam." he says to her. "But that's all I am. Nothing more."

Samantha grins slightly for the first time since waking up. "And that's all I need you to be." she replies in a soft tone.

"In any case, you don't have to worry about Billy. He's not tied to you anymore. Though unfortunately, he may be tied to mine soon." Michael says.

"What? What do you mean?" Samantha lifts her head up from her plate and asks.

"You mean you didn't hear?" Michael asks.

"Hear what?" Samantha responds. Michael gulps as he realizes Sam never heard the last part of the conversation between him and Jen before she left.

"Forget it. Eat your breakfast before it gets cold." Michael replies, trying to quickly divert Sam's attention to something else, but to no success. Sam reaches out and grabs Michael's arm.

"Michael, hear what?" repeats Samantha with more aggression in her voice.

Michael gulps. "All right. Billy is taking Jennifer on a luxury cruise next month, a cruise that he had originally bought for you and him to go on. But he's now taking my sister." Michael says as he winces knowing Sam's reaction will likely be hostile.

"What?" Samantha yells as she throws her silver ware down on her plate. "That bastard!" she screams as she gets up and hits the counter a couple of times with the palm of her hand and begins to angrily pace around the apartment.

"Hey easy….If you need to let out some aggression take one of those empty wine bottles and throw them at the door. It worked for me." Michael says in a half-serious tone. Samantha walks over and looks at the bottles and contemplates throwing them for a second but decides not to. Instead she plops down on the couch and holds her head in her hands.

"So what did you mean when you said that Billy may be tied to you soon?" Sam asks.

"Well, this came from Jen's mouth so take it for what it's worth. But she says she thinks Billy's going to propose to him on the cruise."

Samantha snickers in disgust. "So that's why he's pushing me for such a fast divorce. He wants me out of the way permanently so he and his new bitch can live happily ever after. It makes me sick."

"You know, forgive me for intruding, but why are you so hung up on Billy anyways? I mean what is it about that guy that draws both you and my sister to him like a magnet?" Michael inquires.

Samantha chuckles. "I'm not drawn to Billy. Not anymore. I could care less what he does with his life. He can screw whatever bimbo he wants for all I care. I'm completely over him."

"Oh yeah, it really sounds like it." Michael says sarcastically. "I mean so what if he marries my sister. I mean unfortunately I'll be the one stuck with him as a brother in law, but what do you care? He's out of your life forever." Michael asks.

"I could ask the same thing to you about Coop and Megan." Sam says to Michael. "And I'm pretty sure what your answer would be the same as mine. It's not that you want Megan back, but after what she and Coop did to you, you totally hate the idea of them being happy and successful. You don't care if they're together or not, but they caused you a lot of misery and unhappiness while they sat up on their pedestal and laughed. Now that pisses you off, doesn't it?" Samantha asks.

Michael nods as he's feeling a complete and total connection to everything Sam is saying to him. "Yeah, you're right. It does. It does piss me off." Michael says, as what Sam said is resonating in his mind.

"The fact is that both Billy and I cheated on each other. But yet I get left out in the cold while he and Jen get to go to bed together happy every night. And not only that, but Amanda's always praising him, always giving him the good clients while I'm the one who's always getting yelled at and scolded." Samantha says. "Frankly, it makes me sick. Their happiness makes me sick. And if they think that I'm just going to fade away while they get to live happily ever after, especially after all the crap they've put me through, than they just better think again."

Michael nods. "Yeah, I like your spirit, kid. Just nothing too bad. I mean that is my kid sister you're talking about."

Samantha turns and looks at Michael. She then hops up and walks back over to where he is at the counter and sits down at the place where her breakfast still is. "Michael, I'm not a psycho. I'm not going to do anything to harm your sister or even Billy. I just want them to be completely miserable in their relationship. You don't have a problem with that do you?" she asks.

Michael shrugs. "As long as you don't hurt Jennifer, no I don't. And if you can make them miserable and even break them up, more power to you. If Campbell somehow worms his way into our family, I just know he'd drive a wedge between me and her. I'd be even more isolated than I already am. But that's your business, Sam. I don't have time to get into it. I got my own problems to deal with right now." Michael says as he finishes his breakfast. "Now, I got to shower and get dressed. I got a busy day of trying to find a medical practice that'll take me in, plus I have to get this mess with Taylor and the little monster she's pregnant with taken care of." Michael says as he puts his dish in the sink.

"Yeah, so I know it's none of my business but are you really having a baby with Taylor?" Samantha asks.

"Not if I'm lucky." Michael says. "There's a 1 in 3 chance that I'm the father. Kyle's one of the other possibilities and the third guy I don't know, some joker she had a one nighter with. She of course is hoping beyond hope that the baby is Kyle's so she can reel him back in. I just don't want it to be mine, because that's the last thing I need right now. Unfortunately we won't know a thing until we're able to get a paternity test which I don't know how…" Michael says as he pauses and looks at Sam. "Forget it, I've said too much all ready. Just promise me you won't breathe a word about this to another living soul."

Samantha grins. "My lips are sealed, Michael. You can trust me." she says. "Plus, it's your business anyways. "But hey, anytime you need a friend to talk to, you can always talk to me."

Michael nods. "Thanks."

"Can I just say one thing though?" Samantha asks.

Michael shrugs his shoulders. "Shoot." he replies.

"You shouldn't let Peter, Coop, and Megan get away with what they've done to you. I mean, they ruined your life, so maybe it's time you should set out to ruin theirs." Samantha says.

"That's a great suggestion, and one that I've thought of already, but there's one little problem with that." Michael says. "I don't have the slightest idea how to do it."

"Well, let's see, you could call the company on the east coast that Coop is interviewing with, reveal a few of his dirty secrets, and I'm guessing you probably wouldn't even be lying about a lot of them." Samantha says. "He clearly came to L.A. with the intention of ruining your career, so you would be completely justified to do the same to him."

Michael begins to grin. "You're a sneaky little devil, aren't you? I like you're thinking, Sam. Only problem is that I have no idea what company he is interviewing with and neither Coop nor Megan nor anyone else who knows is likely to tell me." Michael says.

Samantha shrugs. "It was just an idea." she says as she finishes her breakfast. "And while you're at it, I'd take Peter and Coop to court. Take them for everything that they're worth. I mean you started that practice with Peter. You did your part to make it a successful one, and now Coop and Megan are in there reaping the benefits of your years of hard work." Samantha suggests.

"Again, I've thought about it. But it would pretty much take every last penny I have in my bank account to be able to afford the lawyer I need to go after them. If I lose, I'm bankrupt and out on my ear." Michael says.

"But if you win, you could find yourself back in the driver's seat. It's a big risk, but it could also mean a big reward." Samantha says.

Michael ponders her suggestion for a second. "I'll think about it." he finally replies.

"Hey, like I said, it's your business whatever you decide to do. All I know is for too long I've been the nice girl who tried to be everyone's friend. And what did I get? I got used and abused by everyone. First Sydney, then Billy, and Amanda, and now Jennifer. I just simply can't take it anymore. I've had all I'm going to take. I've had it with being walked on. It's time I started walking on other people. And from what I can tell, you should start doing the same." Samantha rants.

Michael nods his head as he connects with everything Sam is saying, but remains reluctant to let things get to close.

"I hear you." he says in a mellow tone. "Listen, it's already 9:30 and I got a lot to do today. So I'm going to get in the shower. Feel free to leave whenever you'd like and….."

"Wait, did you just say it's 9:30?" Samantha asks. Michael nods. "Crud! I'm already late for work. Do you mind if I use your phone? I need to call Amanda and tell her I'm going to be late."

"No, go ahead." Michael says as he goes back into the bedroom and then into the bathroom to take a shower.

After finishing her breakfast, Samantha picks up the phone and dials Amanda Woodward advertising.

"Amanda Woodward advertising" says the receptionist on the other end of the line.

"Yes. This is Samantha Riley, can I speak to Amanda please." Sam replies.

"Oh hey, Sam. One minute, I'll see if she's available." The receptionist replies. After about a minute of elevator music, the line picks up on the other end.

"Amanda Woodward." Amanda answers the phone on the other end.

"Amanda, it's Sam." Samantha says. "Listen, I'm going to be a little late getting in this morning, but I just want to assure you that I'll be there in plenty of time for the 1 o'clock sales meeting with Mr. Samuel of Sunrise Sports Drinks. I already got all the artwork laid out and….." Samantha says over the phone.

"Don't bother." Amanda replies, cutting Samantha off in mid-sentence.

"What?" Samantha replies..

"Don't bother coming in today. The last thing we need at this agency is a loose cannon with emotional baggage here to screw things up." Amanda says.

"Amanda, what are you talking about?" Samantha asks.

"I heard about you public drunkenness at Kyle's last night and about how you fell off the wagon last night and attacked Jennifer and Billy." Amanda says. Samantha listens on with a look of disbelief.

"Woah, wait a minute. I don't know what you heard, but…" Samantha says, getting cut off in mid-sentence.

"Just shut up and listen." orders Amanda. "I don't tolerate unreliable people who let their personal issues get in the way of being able to effectively do their job. I didn't tolerate it with Allison back at D&D, and Allison my dear was by far a much bigger asset to me than you are. So if you think you can play by your own rules, you are sadly mistaken. You are expected to be here on time every morning."

"Amanda, come on. So, I'm a couple hours late one day. But I got everything under control." Samantha says.

"Control? I'm going to take a wild guess and say that the reason you weren't on time this morning is because you are recovering from a hangover. Would I be right in my assumption?" Amanda asks forcefully. Sam doesn't reply back. "I take it from your silence that you're not going to refute that. It looks to me the only things you need to get under control is your drinking and your temper."

"Amanda, I brought Sunrise Sport Drinks to Amanda Woodward Advertising. They've been my primary account the whole time." Samantha says.

"And now they're Billys." Amanda replies. "As usual, you dropped the ball here. But thanks to Billy, who's spending the whole morning memorizing the campaign, we will be able to proceed with the meeting this afternoon, without you. And I've given the account to him."

"I don't believe this." Samantha complains. "That smug piece of dirt is trying to steal everything from me." she says about Billy.

"If you're referring to Billy, than you need to be thanking him. He's the only reason you still have a job here. My inclination was to fire you after you've spent months complaining about him and even gave me that ultimatum. But Billy asked me as a personal favor to give you one more chance, and I agreed only because I owe Billy one for all the times he's stepped up to the plate for me over the years. So I suggest you take the rest of this day to think about your life and the direction you are headed, Samantha. And I suggest you stop blaming Billy for every problem in your life and take a good long look in the mirror. Because right now, I'd say he's the only friend you have left." Amanda lectures. Samantha takes in every word, stewing on it as Amanda's cold aloofness reverberates in her head, and her praise of Billy serves only to poor gasoline on an already raging fire.

"I'll expect you to be here tomorrow morning on time, and when I say on time, I mean your rear end is in your seat and at your desk when that clock hits 8 A.M. I'll be watching the clock very closely, and trust me, you don't want to test me on this." Amanda says. Samantha just stares blankly at the wall and after several seconds finally speaks up.

"I got it. I'll be there." Samantha replies in an emotionless tone.

"Good. Because we have a meeting at 9, and I have a major announcement to make. Be there." Amanda says as she hangs up the phone.

Samantha sits there for a moment staring blankly at the wall while holding the cordless phone. As Amanda's berating continues to sink into her head, she finally snaps and loses it and begins banging the phone against the counter.

"Damn it! I hate that Amanda! Such a bitch!" Samantha screams as she continues to smash the phone against the counter. Just at that point, a showered and fully dressed Michael comes from out of the bedroom wearing a grey shirt, black pants, and tie.

"Hey! Hey!" Michael yells at Samantha prompting her to stop and turn and look at him. "Easy on the phone, will you? Money's kind of tight and I can't afford to be buying a new one."

Samantha puts the phone down and takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just walked head on into a verbal ambush from Amanda, all thanks to Billy. God, that woman takes being a bitch to new heights. Just once, can't she be a little understanding?"

Michael snickers. "Understanding? Amanda? Yeah, good luck." he replies sarcastically. "You'd have better luck squeezing blood from a stone. I've known her for years. She's got snake venom in her veins. The woman lives to suck the life out of people. I should know, she did it to me once and has had Peter stuck in her spider web for years."

"Oh my god. Well, you'd think she'd at least cut me some slack seeing as how I saved her life in the wilderness a few months ago when our chopper went down." Samantha says.

Michael walks over to the counter and finishes putting some medical paperwork in his medical satchel. "You think you're the first person who has saved Amanda's life only to have her shove the knife deep into your back?" Michael asks. "A few years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. She didn't have much time left and was desperate and came to me for help. So, I risked a hell of a lot and flew with her to New York and got her on a life-saving new treatment program. Want to guess how she paid me back?" Michael asks.

Sam shrugs her shoulders. "I have no idea."

"She sued me and then conspired with my ex-wife at the time to frame me and have me thrown in jail." Michael says as he finishes packing his stuff and puts a jacket on over his shirt and tie.

"What a cold heartless bitch." Samantha mutters.

"Listen, you gave me some advice, now I'll give you some. Don't ever depend on Amanda Woodward to have your back, because she'll plunge a knife into it before you even know what hit you." Michael says as he starts to walk out the door. "Now, I need to get going. I hope everything works out for you. Do you need money for a cab to take you home?"

"Uhm no, I'm fine." Samantha replies.

"Okay well, no rush. I trust you can see your own way out. Just make sure you lock the door when you leave." Michael says as he starts to walk out the front door and close it.

"Hey Michael!" Samantha calls out to him.

"Yeah?" he asks as he opens to door back up and sticks his head in.

"Thanks for listening." Samantha says. Michael nods and leaves.

At that point, Samantha begins to look around the beach house to see if there is anything of hers that is still there. After not finding anything, she picks up the phone and calls the local taxi cab service to take her back to Melrose Place. They inform her that a cab will be there in 20 minutes.

Sam looks around the beach house and walks out onto the deck to take in the sunny ocean atmosphere. She loves this house and briefly thinks to herself that the deck would be a great place to paint. But she knows the reality is that she barely knows Michael and she's only there out of a bizarre set of circumstances. Unfortunantly for her, she had to return to the apartment complex where Amanda, Billy, and Jennifer all lived, the source of what is making her angry and bitter.

With time to kill before the cab shows up, Sam sits down on the couch in the living room and turns on the television. She begins to channel surf using the remote. Not finding anything interesting on, she happens to be flipping through the ESPN news channel where she sees the sports newscaster mutter a name that is all too familiar to her.

"And turning now to Major League Baseball, Tampa Bay Devil Rays rookie, Jeff Baylor hit his first major league home run last night, a walk off grand slam to defeat the Boston Red Sox in the bottom of the 10th inning. The night was made all the more memorable for Baylor who would propose on air to his girlfriend during the post-game interview. And we just got the word this morning that she has accepted." says the sports broadcaster as Samantha watches highlights of her former love hitting a home run and then shots are shown of him and his new fiancé together.

At this point, Samantha shuts off the tv in disgust. It seemed like every time she turned around, the world was doing something else to kick her while she was down. First the news on Billy and Jennifer moving in together and taking the cruise, then Amanda's lecture, and now seeing Jeff on tv successful and engaged was just another slap in her face. Deep within her, Samantha's rage begins to grow. She feels like smashing something in, but knows this is Michael's house.

Sam then looks down at a couple of the reaming empty wine bottles on the coffee table. Remember what Michael said, she grabs one of them and throws it at the front door to let out her aggression. The bottle shatters and makes a new mess on the floor after the old one had just been swept up.

Scowling and shaking her head, Samantha turns and walks back out onto the balcony and leans up against the guard railing. She doesn't understand why, but the whole world seems like it hates her all of a sudden. But inside her, the feeling is becoming mutual.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. 3: Sam vs Melrose Place

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Melrose Place or any of the characters involved in this story.**

* * *

It is almost noon, and a yellow taxi cab pulls up in front of the Melrose Place apartment complex. Returning from the beach house and her drunken one night stand with Michael, a man who she barely knows but seems to be the only one who relates to her these days, Samantha just wants to go into her apartment and stew.

In the past, she would always find solace in painting. It was her release of whatever negative emotion and energy that she had bottling up. And it has always worked. Whether it was the shame of her outlaw father, dealing with her man-hating mother, or the guilt she was carrying from being the one who accidently killed Sydney Andrews on her wedding day, painting always seemed to set her soul at ease, but not anymore.

Sam pays the driver and gets out of the cab. As she walks through the front of the apartment complex and past the mailboxes on her left, she hopes that with it being the middle of the day that she won't have to deal with anyone else there. Everyone who she thought was a friend has seemingly turned against her lately and they've all sided with Billy and Jennifer.

Sam enters the courtyard and out of the corner of her right eye, she spots Taylor who is sitting in a chair next to the pool with a bottled water in one hand. Taylor is holding a book she's reading in the other hand, a book about child birthing. Taylor is wearing a silky white robe to cover herself as she is starting to put on the pounds due to her pregnancy.

Without saying a word, Samantha turns left and heads straight for her apartment, apartment #3, which had been Billy's for many years . But with Billy moving in with Jennifer, it now belongs to Sam, at least until she can find a new place to live, which she wants to. She has grown to hate having to see not only Billy and Jennifer, but Amanda too all day at work and then living in the same building with them.

As Samantha walks toward her door, she hears Taylor call out to her in what sounds like an even more annoying voice than usual.

"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite troublemaker." Taylor says as she heard Samantha come in and looked up from her book to see who it was. Samantha shakes her head.

"Good Morning, Taylor." Samantha says in a quiet and unfriendly tone, trying to make as little conversation as possible.

"It is, isn't it? It's a great morning" Taylor saw in a chipper tone. "Well, for some of us anyways."

"Yeah, whatever." Sam replies as she walks to her door while reaching into her purse for her keys, her tone clearly indicating that she could care less what Taylor has to say.

"Oh by the way, Kyle's looking for you." Taylor says to Samantha, who turns around and looks at her.

"Yeah, well you can tell Kyle I got nothing to say to him." Sam replies.

"That sure is a nice way to talk about somebody who took time out of his busy schedule to drive your car over here this morning." Taylor says in a sarcastic tone as Sam stands there with her hands on her hips. "By the way, where were you?"

"None of your business." Sam replies. "And did I ask him to do that?" Sam asks in an annoyed tone, thinking that Taylor needs to mind her own business. "I ought to call the police and have him arrested for grand theft."

"Boy, no wonder everyone around here hates you." Taylor replies as she turns her attention back to her magazine.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Samantha responds aggressively as she slowly walks toward Taylor.

"Well let's see, you cheat on your husband, start a fight at the club, and then bad mouth someone who does you a favor and brings your car back, not to mention that he actually bought your ugly paintings." Taylor says. "You've pretty much ticked just about everyone off."

"Woah, hold on, back up a second. Why is it everyone completely ignores the fact that Billy cheated on me as well. Besides, isn't this a little hypocritical coming from you? Didn't you cheat on Kyle with Peter and break up 2 marriages in the process?" accuses Sam.

"Pft. Ancient history, girlfriend." Taylor says in a sassy tone. "See Kyle and Amanda are about to get divorced, and he and I are about to be an item again real soon?"

"Really? So Peter didn't want you and you go running back to Kyle who's now married to Amanda. So that'll be the third marriage you've destroyed?" Samantha replies in a disbelieving tone as Sam knows that Kyle has been with Amanda for over a year. "And does he know about all this? Or is this your deluded fantasy?"

"Oh it's completely real. In fact I have to get ready. He's taking me to lunch at this really nice place, which means I certainly don't have time to sit here and talk about it with a pathetic loser like you. So please, go drink off some of that pent up hostility. We important people have things to do." Taylor says arrogantly.

Taylor gets up out of the chair by the pool and picks up her bottled water in one hand and her magazine in the other and starts to walk back to her apartment, apartment #1. As she does, Samantha has heard enough of Taylor's insults and comes charging at her. Sam completely catches Taylor off guard as she grabs her arm, spins her around, and then grabs two fists full of her silk robe and slams Taylor up against her own apartment door.

"Hey!" shouts Taylor. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You think you're real cute with that smart mouth of yours, don't you?" Samantha says in a soft, yet hostile tone as she glares right in Taylor's eyes. "I guess that's why your lips are so big, huh? They need to be to shovel all the crap that comes out of them."

"You better get off of me." Taylor replies as she tries to push Sam away, but Sam instead grabs her by her throat and pushes her up against the door again.

"I am sick of you and every self-righteous hypocrite in this building meddling in my business, then turning around and gossiping it to everyone like a bunch of high school kids." Samantha says. Taylor's eyes start to get wide and she starts coughing as Samantha tightens her grip.

"Why don't you go drink it off?" Taylor replies to her. Sam grins maliciously.

"Drink this off, you big lipped bitch!" Sam says as she snatches the water bottle out of Taylor's hand and puts it over her head and starts to pour it on her. Taylor screams and again begins to wrestle with Sam.

"Are you crazy? Look what you did!" Taylor yells, her voice echoing throughout the courtyard. At that point, Kyle comes out of his apartment as he heard the commotion and immediately sees hat is going on.

"Hey!" he yells as he runs down the stairs and over to the ladies, pulling the two apart. "Break it up, you two."

"Kyle, this woman is crazy!" Taylor screams as Sam glares at her. Kyle stands in between the two of them with both arms spread out to keep them separated. "I was just sitting there by the pool, and she attacked me." Taylor at this point is clearly trying to score sympathy points with Kyle who she has desperately been trying to win back from Amanda for months.

"Sam? Care to explain?" Kyle asks as he turns to look at Samantha.

"Well, Taylor….." Samantha begins and then stops in mid-sentence as she sees both Kyle and Taylor looking at her. "You know what, no matter what I say you've already made up your mind about me anyways, Kyle. You proved that last night at the club. So I'm going to go inside now, and you two can whisper all the lies you want to about me to each other. At this point, I don't give a damn anymore." Sam says with an attitude as she marches off.

"Look baby, I'm just going to go inside and change. I'll be out in a minute and will be already for lunch." Taylor says as she kisses Kyle on the cheek. Kyle waits until Taylor leaves and then wipes the kiss off his cheek looking disgusted. The reality is he wants nothing to do with Taylor, but knows that she knows something about Christine's death which could possibly save his marriage with Amanda.

As Samantha reaches her front door, Kyle goes chasing after her.

"Sam, wait up." Kyle yells out. Samantha stops at the front door. "These are yours. Your car is parked out back." Kyle says as he hands Sam her car keys.

Sam snickers. "Just consider yourself lucky I didn't call the cops." she replies to Kyle with an unfriendly glare at him, then turns to go into her apartment. She tries to close the door, but Kyle stands in the way.

"You know, I don't know what's with the attitude lately, but I'm just trying to be your friend." Kyle says.

"My friend?" Samantha repeats as she walks over to the kitchen sink with her back towards Kyle. She then turns around and looks at him. "You're no friend, Kyle. You've turned against me just like everyone else has. Without even blinking an eye, you just assumed that I was the trouble maker and that your good buddy, Jennifer was little miss innocent.

"Look, Sam, I didn't mean to…" Kyle says, getting cut off in midsentence.

"Face it, everyone here has turned their back on me and written me off. I mean, you'd have to be blind to see that everyone's siding with Billy. Never mind that he also had an affair. But because he had his with Jennifer, he's got everyone siding with him and believing I'm the bad person." Samantha retorts.

"Nobody thinks you're a bad person." expresses Kyle.

"Are you kidding? Nobody talks to me. You throw me out of your club without even listening to my side of the story. And your bitch wife can't stop throwing it up to me at the office how wonderful Billy is and what a big screw up I am every chance she gets."

"Look, don't talk about Amanda like that, all right." Kyle replies in a serious tone.

"Why not? Look Kyle, if you want to continue to be an idiot and believe that Saint Amanda is the greatest thing that ever happened, that's your business. But the cold hard truth whether you want to accept it or not is that she's got no heart. The woman is a black widow with poison in her veins." Samantha says. Kyle looks at her and shakes her head in disgust. "Why are you defending her anyways? Aren't you two getting divorced?"

"Look, that's none of your business." Kyle retorts.

"Oh, your divorce with Amanda is none of my business, but my divorce with Billy is everyone's business? God, you guys are all such hypocrites." Samantha replies.

"Look Sam, you can be as hateful and as bitter as you want. I can't stop you. But whether you believe it or not, I was trying to be your friend last night. You were drunk and making a spectacle, and I was trying to get you out of there before you embarrassed yourself any further. And I wasn't going to let you drive home drunk and get in an accident." Kyle says.

"Why not? What the hell do you care what happens to me?" Samantha asks as she sits down on her couch. Kyle moves in closer to her.

"Because I owe you, Sam." Kyle says. "You saved Amanda's life when that helicopter went down."

"And believe me, I regret every second of it. I should have let her die. The world would be better off." Samantha says in a bitter tone. At that point Kyle grits his teeth and appears like he's about to verbally lay into Sam. But before he has a chance, Taylor comes out of her apartment and sees Kyle standing in the doorway to Samantha's apartment.

"Kyle, let's go. We're going to be late for lunch!" Taylor whines.

"In a minute!" Kyle yells back, wanting to finish having it out with Sam.

"But Kyle, I'm hungry. Why do you want to waste your time talking to that piece of trash?" Taylor yells, referring to Samantha.

Sam folds her arms and glares right at Kyle with a look that could burn through lead. "Enjoy your lunch. Hope you both choke on it." Sam replies.

"You know, Sam. I hope that you find your real self again and soon. But until you do, I think it's a good idea that you just stay away from my club." Kyle says back to her.

"Gladly." Samantha replies with a smirk. Kyle turns around and walks out. Taylor playfully grabs his arm with a Cheshire cat grin on her face.

Samantha watches them leave with a scowl on her face and closes the door as they walk out of the courtyard.

* * *

Billy and Jennifer slowly start to walk into the Melrose Place courtyard arm in arm. Jennifer has her head resting on Billy's shoulder as the two talk softly to each other back and forth.

"Oh, man, what a day." Billy says in an exhausted tone. "Between everything going on with this divorce with Sam, plus with things picking up at the office, I'm just beat." he says. Jennifer moves behind Billy and begins to rub his shoulders. He stops right where the mailboxes are. He closes his eyes and leans his head back. "Oh, that feels so good." moans Billy.

"You poor thing." mutters Jennifer. "You know what you need is a nice home cooked Italian dinner, a hot bath, and a full body massage."

"You know what I think?" Billy says as he turns around to face Jennifer, facing away from the courtyard. "I think great minds think alike." he says as he wraps his arms around Jennifer's waist. She puts her arms around his shoulders and they begin kissing passionately with tongue.

"So how about I go upstairs and run you a nice hot bath." Jennifer says as she breaks from the kiss and then kisses his cheek. "I'll bake a lasagna, and put some white wine on ice. How does that sound?" Jennifer says as she holds Billy tightly

"That sounds great, but unfortunately I got to get the rest of my stuff out of Sam's apartment tonight." Billy says.

"Well, how long is that going to take?" Jennifer asks.

"Not long. I only got a handful of clothes and some personal items left. Though having to deal with Sam and her attitude as of late is not something I really want to deal with. But the sooner I can get out of there, the sooner she's out of my life forever." Billy replies.

At that point Billy begins to kiss Jennifer on the neck as she backs up against the wall. She rolls her head around for the moment before finally looking into the courtyard for the very first time. At that point she spots something unusual in the courtyard.

"It might not be that easy." Jennifer mutters outloud.

"Huh?" Billy moans as he stops kissing Jennifer's neck and looks up at her.

"Look! Over there." Jennifer says to him. The two of them look over at the courtyard and slowly walk out into it. They see the courtyard is an utter mess. The clothes that he still had in his and Sam's old apartment have been thrown out into the courtyard and are scattered everywhere, along with his personal items which include an old soccer jersey and his first published article which he had framed. That was clearly thrown to the ground and the frame shattered.

"I don't believe this." Billy says as he bends over and looks at the shattered frame and then glances around at his clothes around the courtyard, a couple of his t-shirts actually landed in the pool.

"Billy, look. I bring some boxes down from my apartment and we'll get this picked up." Jennifer suggests. At that point, an angry Billy glares over at apartment #3, where he and Sam use to live. He sees the light on. "Billy, please don't. What's done is done, all right."

Not listening to Jennifer, Billy stands up and marches right over to Sam's apartment and bangs on the door loudly. "Sam, open up!" he yells, banging on the door even louder. "SAM!" Billy screams at the top of his lungs. At that point the door opens up and Samantha stands there wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of black leather pants.

"Ahh, Billy, perfect timing." Sam says in a smug manner with a smirk on her face. "I just about have the last of your things packed up."

"What are you talking about? My things are all over the courtyard." Billy screams. "Why did you do it, Sam? I told you I would be by to get them.

"And I told you I wanted your crap out of here tonight." Samantha replies in a scornful tone.

"Are you nuts? You never said by tonight." Billy replies.

"Well, I'm saying it now." Samantha says as she turns her back on Billy and starts to walk back inside. Billy comes charging after her.

"Hey, don't you turn your back on me!" Billy says forcefully. "You just can't do this sort of thing!"

"Oh, but you can go around and tell lies about me and turn everyone against me?" Samantha asks.

"I never did anything. You turned everyone against you with your horrible attitude and destructive personality." replies Billy.

"Billy, come on, let's just go. Arguing with this lunatic won't do any good. Believe me, I tried." Jennifer yells out from behind. Both Sam and Billy ignore her and continue arguing.

"Bull. You got Amanda ready to fire me. I mean she's always throwing it up in my face how great you are and how lousy I am. You got Kyle throwing me out of his club. You got everyone in this building talking about me behind my back. And you try to tell me you didn't do anything. You're so full of it ,and you're such a hypocrite." Samantha says back to him.

"You dig your own holes, Sam. Face it, you tried to keep two guys, Jeff and me. And you lost both of us, and now you're just bitter." Billy says. "Well don't blame me because you can't get your pathetic mess of a life together." Billy replies in a hostile tone while gritting his teeth.

At that point, the rage in Samantha boils over. She reaches down right hand and turns the diamond engagement ring she has on her finger around without Billy seeing. And then with as much fury as she can muster, slaps Billy with her left hand across his right cheek. The diamond ring catches him right on the cheek and draws blood. Billy reaches up and immediately grabs his cheek getting blood on his hand.

"Sam, are you crazy?" Jennifer yells as she immediately runs to Billy's aid.

"I knew this ugly thing was good for something." Samantha yells as she takes off her ring and sees that part of Billy's blood is on it. She giggles maliciously as she watches Jennifer try to wipe the blood from Billy's face.

"Hey, I still got two years payment on that." Billy replies.

"Well here, you can go fish for it." Sam says as she walks over to the door and throws the engagement ring in the pool. "Better get it before the pool boy does."

"You need help, Sam." Jennifer says as she and Billy start to walk out.

"And you two need to get the hell out of my apartment." Samantha retorts.

Billy shakes his head in disgust. "Come on, Jen, let's get out of here." he says to her. Billy and Jennifer slowly walk out of Sam's apartment as Sam slams the door behind them. Seconds later, the door opens back up.

"Oh, and Billy, I think you forgot this." Samantha says to Billy who turns around and sees that she's holding up an old framed picture of him and Allison together. "You think I didn't know about it? You kept it in the bottom of your shirts drawer the whole time we were married."

Billy turns around and starts walking really fast back towards Sam. "Hey, give that back. That's the only picture I have of Allison and I together!" he screams.

"You want it, Billy? Well you can swim for it." taunts Sam as she makes a b-line for the pool to toss it in. But Billy jumps in her way before she can toss the picture in it. Billy grabs the picture and wrestles with Sam for several seconds before managing to get it away from her. But as he jerks the picture away from her, Samantha intentionally lets go causing Billy to stumble backwards and into the pool with all his clothes on.

"Billy!" Jennifer cries out as she jumps into the pool after him with her clothes on. As Billy and Jennifer both come up, Samantha stands there and laughs mockingly with a huge smile on her face. Billy checks to make sure the picture of him and Allison is okay. Fortunately for him, the frame protected it from any real damage.

Billy and Jennifer, both soaking wet with pool water dripping off their faces, turn to look at Samantha who is standing there with a devilish grin on her face as she continues to chuckle. "You two are truly pathetic beyond words." she says. "Hope you enjoy your time together, and I truly wish you both a long and miserable life." Samantha says as she turns around and walks out the door.

"You're crazy, you know that!" Billy yells from the pool as Samantha goes into her apartment and shuts the door. At that point Amanda enters the courtyard just as a Billy and Jennifer both climb out of the pool. Their clothes are dripping wet onto the cement courtyard ground. Amanda takes one look around and sees Billys clothes and items from the apartment scattered around the courtyard, then she takes a look at Billy and Jennifer themselves.

"What the hell happened?" Amanda asks.

"Samantha is what happened." Billy replies as he wipes pool water out of his eyes.

"No kidding. Amanda, I'm telling you. That girl has gone off the deep end." Jennifer says as she and Billy slowly walk back upstairs.

"Amanda, we'll pick all this stuff up. We just need to change and dry off first." Billy says as she Jennifer go into their apartment, apartment #7. At this point, Samantha is sees that some of Billy's blood that was on his hands got on her hand during the scuffle to get the picture back. She goes to her purse, grabs a tissue out of it and wipes the blood off and without thinking, drops the blood stained tissue back into her purse.

Amanda carefully walks over to the window of her apartment and looks in at her. Samantha then goes to the window and flashes Amanda a taunting smile as if to say "You want to start something too?"

Samantha closes the blinds on Amanda and sits down on her couch, relishing the commotion that she has caused.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


End file.
